29 December 2013

Don’t
be fooled.Short story writing is not an
easy task.Unlike a full length novel,
you only have a finite number of words you can use in order to convey a vibrant story. So, you have to make EVERY
word count.

Even
though you have only 1,000 to say 3,500 words at your disposal, the basic elements
of a short story are the same as a novel.You need a beginning, middle and an end, along with engaging characters,
structure, theme, plot, and conflict.

It
might help to think of your short story as a three act play.Act 1 you introduce your character(s),
setting and conflict.Act 2 Complications
arise. Tension builds.Act 3 All questions are answered and the
protagonist reaches his goal.

No
wonder it’s a daunting task!Nevertheless,
here are 10 tips to help you on your way:-

Make
your title enticing and relevant to your story. It's a calling card that, if compelling enough, will nudge a potential reader's curiosity.

Limit yourself to three characters at the most. With little room for character development, 1-3 characters is an ideal number because you will then be able to give each one the attention they deserve.

Work with one, possibly two settings because, again, as you're working with a low word count, you will still be able to describe your setting(s) and bring them to life.

Only have one conflict.

Don't have too long a time period for your story.

Have one point of view POV character and make him the character who is central to your plot.

Start your story with a hook, preferably in the first couple of paragraphs. Your reader needs to be asking questions from the very beginning.

Show the reasons that will prevent your protagonist from reaching his goal. This will add a level of tension and keep your reader reading!

Make every sentence move your story forward.

Have a twist at the end. Readers love to be surprised!

Can you think of any other important points when writing a short story?

17 December 2013

I have fond memories
of all the Christmas’s I spent in Canada.
Lots of snow, log fires, all the houses in town lit up with Christmas
lights, turkey dinners, Christmas pudding with caramel sauce, baking Christmas
cookies, mistletoe, mince pies, stockings hung from the mantelpiece. The list goes on.

It’s in stark contrast
to the Christmas’s I now spend in Australia where it’s the middle of
summer. And with the warm weather the
activities tend to vary also. Such as
Carols by Candlelight held in parks and gardens of most cities and towns.

There is a huge
Christmas pageant in Adelaide when Father Christmas officially arrives in the
city.

Boxing Day is the
start of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race and the Melbourne Boxing Day Test Match
at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The Christmas menu can
also vary from those wanting a traditional turkey or roast dinner to a variety
of other dishes more suited to a hot day.

This might include a
pavlova for desert. Now, there is
contention as to whether this recipe was invented by an Australian or a New
Zealand chef in honour of Anna Pavlova, a Russian ballerina. She visited both Australia and New Zealand in
the 1920s. The Pavlova became a
traditional dessert in both countries for celebratory occasions.

For those of you who
live far from Australia, I thought I would share this recipe with you. (It looks delicious, doesn’t it? And it is.)

PAVLOVA

6
egg whites

1 1/2
cups caster sugar

pinch
cream of tartar (see note)

1 1/4 cup thickened cream

1
tablespoon icing sugar mixture

1
teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup strawberries, sliced

Preheat
oven to 120°Celcius/100°Celcius fan-forced.

or - 248 degrees Fahrenheit/212F fan-forced.

Line a baking tray with baking paper. Mark a
23cm circle on the paper.

Using an
electric mixer, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Add caster sugar. Beat
for 10 minutes or until sugar has dissolved. Add cream of tartar. Beat for 1
minute. Spoon mixture onto circle. Using a palette knife or spatula, shape into
a circle with high sides. Make 'furrows' up the sides.

Bake for
1 hour or until firm. Turn off oven. Allow to cool in oven with door slightly
ajar.

Using an
electric mixer, beat cream, icing sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form.
Place pavlova on a serving plate. Top with cream mixture and fruit. Serve.

11 December 2013

Today
we’re travelling to New South Wales, in Australia, and the beautiful coastal
towns of Forster

"Boat Harbour"

and Tuncurry

to meet with Gary Taaffe, the author of the Urban
Hunter series.

Good morning, Gary.

My, you live in such a beautiful place!

London Bridge

It must add to your inspiration when you're writing.Gary, you’re the author of Four Small Stones, a story
about a young Aboriginal boy, and the first book in the Urban Hunters
series.Please tell us about it.

GARY:

I think the back cover blurb says it best:

Billy’s gotta find some girls, or he and his brothers face
extinction, the last of their kind living a Stone Age life in the Australian
bush. The spirits choose Billy to see what he can find in the big city. But
he’s never even seen a girl before and all he’s got to wear is a loincloth. His
dad wants a fat one to keep him warm in winter and his oldest brother Mallee,
wants six! No one knows what Pindaari wants.

Before he goes he must pull off the impossible and earn his
brother’s respect, outsmarting them at their own game with a stinking dead
kangaroo, a flooded cave crawling with bats and a quartz crystal.

Could life get any more difficult? Why yes it could, Billy
could fall in love ...

Four Small Stones transports the reader into the
Australian bush and the home of an indigenous tribe who face extinction.What prompted you to write this story and
choose this particular setting?

GARY:

I wanted to write about kids living on the street and
instead of scrounging in bins for food, they’d hunt and cook street meat in
city parks and back alleys using weapons they’d made themselves.

I had a girl, Amber, a blue-eyed blonde who has hunted with
her father all her life, until she winds up on the street in a bloodied pair of
pink pyjamas.

Coming up with a boy was difficult. I wanted him to already
have hunting skills, but I couldn’t use the same type of background as Amber.
When it occurred to me that an Aboriginal boy from the bush would have amazing
hunting skills to use on the street, I knew I had a winner. But I had to come
up with a story to justify him being a bush Aboriginal, for which there are
very few left these days, and a reason for him to come to the city and meet
Amber. Well, the background I came up with completely and utterly took over the
story. It was fantastic! And the story quickly became about Billy.

How did you go about your research for this series,
Gary?

GARY:

I
have always had a keen interest in the lives of Aborigines before white
settlement. Some of my best mates in a boys boarding school were Aboriginal and
over the 5 years, they told me story after story of their lives, their culture
and their hunting experiences. I have been a keen hunter all my life so I
wanted to know everything.

I'll
be spending a month next year living and hunting with Aborigines in the bush on
the Coburg Peninsula. They still hunt with spears and live as they have for
centuries.

Is there a message in Four Small Stones that you want
your readers to grasp?

GARY:

Urban Hunters is a series with at least 12 books planned. It
isn't all about Aborigines, even though it starts that way. It is a story about
Billy, the thirteen year old Aborigine and Amber, a white Australian girl. The
story is mostly about many cultures coming together and living as one. Which is
exactly what we are all trying to do now.

In Four Small Stones, we see how boys are the same the world
over. Boys will by boys. They’re disgusting, they’re hilarious and they’re lots
of fun to be around.

Do you have any suggestions or writing tips for those who want to venture into
writing fiction?

GARY:

Think of yourself as a storyteller, not a writer.
Storytelling is the same as telling a joke. It’s a constant build up to the
punch line. Along the way you have to hold people’s attention, to make them
care. Carefully feed them the information they need. Tantalize them with tiny
details. Tease their curiosity to breaking point. Then make them explode with
wonder.

Practice by writing jokes. There are thousands of jokes
written down on the net. Re-write them. See if you can make them better. Turn
them into short stories. If you’re into horror, take a news report’s details of
a murder and turn that into a story.

Practice, practice, practice. And always get someone else to
read your story and critique it. Join a writing club.

Is there anything else you would like to share with
us, GARY?

GARY:

Primarily I’m an inventor, and I’ve found there’s no better
way of expressing my inventive nature than storytelling. I’ve taken out
world-wide patents on products, manufactured them and distributed them around
the world, but they don’t come close to the satisfaction I get from publishing
stories.

It’s a great business model. Reproducing the invention is
effortless, via Print On Demand and copy and pasting an eBook. Distribution is
the same, via the POD distribution network and eBook downloads. If I did
nothing else to my invention at all, distributors like Amazon and Createspace
would still be sending me sales royalties for the next 50 years, 100 years. And
marketing has never been easier or more affordable with websites, blogs, social
networks and Google. Why wouldn’t I write? I love it!

Do you have any words of advice for aspiring writers?

GARY:

If you want to make a living out of storytelling, think long
term. One, two or even three bestsellers are unlikely to set you up for life.
Let alone the odds of you even having a bestseller. I know you think you will,
but really, it’s unlikely. It’s far more likely that you’ll have ten books out
before you make a decent living. I know all that sounds harsh, but it’s the
reality of being a writer. It’s a tough business to make a buck in.

Be bold, think outside the square. I could turn my series
into one big book, which I’d probably still be writing. Instead I’ve serialized
it. I’m up to my seventh book, so I get orders for seven books instead of just
one. I’m making a modest living while I’m finishing the story.

Where can readers learn more about you and find your
books on the web?

GARY:

I
give away my first books for free in eBook format on my Bunya site so download
them there if you want a taste of my story. And if you like my stories, please
support me by buying them on Amazon or through any of the other sellers listed
on my Bunya site. I’d love to hear from you too and Facebook is a great way to
do that. See you there ...

Four Small Stones is the first book in the Urban Hunters
series and is set in present day New South Wales, Australia. The story opens with Billy, a 13 year old
Aboriginal boy who lives, with his tribe, hidden in the bush. Tormented endlessly by his older brothers,
Billy strives to earn their respect and in so doing, is strengthened for that
which he has yet to endure. His tribal
initiation and his eventual Walkabout in his quest for the tribes survival.

With well rounded characters, Gary Taaffe has weaved a tale
that gives the reader a glimpse of the tribal life that Billy and his people
live in the Australia bush. An
enjoyable, well written book that has its funny, yet serious side, Four Small
Stones is the journey’s beginning!

GARY TAAFFE

Gary
lives in a small coastal town in New South Wales, Australia. There’s open ocean
on one side, a massive saltwater lake on the other and enough virgin bushland
in the surrounding areas to lose yourself for a week.

When
he’s not writing, Gary’s hunting deer for the freezer or putting around the
lake fishing for flathead.

He’s
a Toolmaker by trade, a successful inventor and now, a writer. Urban Hunters is
the culmination of his inventiveness, his enthusiasm for the outdoors and his
fun–filled sense of humour.

DESCRIPTION

FOUR
SMALL STONES (Urban Hunter series, Book 1)

Billy’s
gotta find some girls, or he and his brothers face extinction, the last of
their kind living a Stone Age life in the Australian bush. The spirits choose
Billy to see what he can find in the big city. But he’s never even seen a girl
before and all he’s got to wear is a loincloth. His dad wants a fat one to keep
him warm in winter and his oldest brother Mallee, wants six! No one knows what
Pindaari wants.

Before
he goes he must pull off the impossible and earn his brother’s respect,
outsmarting them at their own game with a stinking dead kangaroo, a flooded
cave crawling with bats and a quartz crystal.

Could
life get any more difficult? Why yes it could, Billy could fall in love ...

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About Me

Mystery writer and author of The Celtic Dagger, Murder At The Rocks,Once Upon A Lie, Lane's End, Deadly Investment, Poisoned Palette and The Fourth String, all part of the Fitzjohn Mystery Series.I live in Australia, am an avid reader, love the theatre, travelling, photography and delving into my family's genealogy.